The Visit
by supernatfem76
Summary: Someone from Vicki's past comes to town.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blood Ties or any of its characters. They are Tanya Huff's creations.**

_**Characters thoughts in italics**_

**Thanks to my beta, Lena!**

**Chapter 1**

Vicki was finishing an invoice from her latest case when she heard a knock at the outer door.

"Hello," a male voice said.

"Just a minute. I'll be right with you. Just have a seat."

The blond haired private investigator placed her pencil on her desk and sauntered into Coreen's area.

A silver haired man with green eyes and dressed in a light blue dress shirt and tan slacks rose from the chair. "Hello, Vicki."

"Do I know you?" Vicki studied his face for a moment.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Her voice raised an octave. "On second thought, I don't want to know. Just leave." She turned away and began walking back to her office.

"Vicki, I…"

The former homicide detective swiveled around. "You what? Want to spend some quality time? I think you're about twenty years too late for that."

"I understand why you're upset with me. Maybe I can come back another time and we can talk," the older man pleaded.

"I don't want to talk to you. You've been gone all this time. Why don't you stay gone?"

The man raised his arms in defeat. "You win, Vicki. I'll leave. I'm in town for a week."

The man reached into his dress pants and pulled a business card from his wallet. "Here's my cell number."

He tried handing the card to Vicki but she refused to take it so he placed the card on an empty chair. "Call me if you change your mind."

"I won't," Vicki insisted.

"Goodbye, Vicki."

As soon as he stepped out of the office, she slammed the door in his face. She watched his distorted image through the opaque glass until he retreated.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blood Ties or any of its characters. They are Tanya Huff's creations.**

_**Characters thoughts in italics**_

**Thanks to my beta, Lena! Thanks for all your wonderful suggestions!**

**Chapter 2**

Vicki was standing at the window staring through the blinds. Henry stood in the doorway wondering how long it would take for her to notice his presence. After a while, when his presence still didn't garner any recognition, he spoke.

"Good evening, Vicki."

Her heart leapt but her outer appearance remained composed.

"Hi, Henry." She sat behind her desk trying to busy herself with paperwork.

The vampire settled into a chair opposite her. "Is there something wrong, Vicki?"

"No, of course not. Why would something be wrong?" She denied.

Henry leaned forward in his chair. His cornflower blue eyes looked at her with concern. "Vicki, I know you well enough to notice when something is wrong. Is it something to do with a case?"

"I wish it was that simple." She took off her glasses and massaged the bridge of her nose before returning them to her face. "Remember when you told me that it took you three hundred years to get over your father issues?" She asked suddenly.

The graphic novelist nodded while giving her a calculating look. "Yes."

Her penciled in eyebrows rose. "How did you finally get passed them?"

"I realized I had two choices. I could hang onto my issues with my father and let them haunt me for the rest of my life or I could forgive him and unburden myself of all the negative feelings I had towards him."

"Sounds simple."

"It wasn't. That's why it took me three centuries." Henry's brows furrowed in puzzlement. "Where is this coming from?"

Vicki was quiet for a moment. Then she spoke. "My father showed up out of the blue today."

"What did he want?"

The former homicide detective shrugged. "Beats me. I threw him out."

"So I see that reunion went well." Henry's voice was laced with sarcasm.

Vicki threw a murderous look his way.

"I understand your initial reaction to your father but maybe you owe it to yourself to hear him out. Maybe it's time for you to let go of all the anger you've been holding onto all these years."

"Maybe. I'll think about."

"Good. Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"No, my stomach's been in knots."

"Why don't you let me take you to dinner?"

"I don't know. I think I'll order some take out instead."

"You need to leave this office for a while to take your mind off things. It's just dinner, not a date. I promise."

"Since you put it that way." Vicki rose from her chair, grabbed her black leather jacket and they left her office.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blood Ties or any of its characters. They are Tanya Huff's creations.**

_**Characters thoughts in italics**_

**Thanks to my beta, Lena! She always helps me stay true to the Blood Ties characters.**

**Chapter 3**

Stanley Nelson stared at the beer bottle. He should have left the bar hours ago. Instead he had sat on a bar stool and ordered a Budweiser. Seeing his daughter had really unsettled him. He was hoping their reunion would have gone better but she didn't even let him say much.

_What did I expect? That she would run into my arms and tell me how much she missed me. At the time I had a drinking problem. I wasn't father material. She was better off without me. At least that's what I kept telling myself. I should have come back sooner. It might be too late to salvage our relationship._

He threw some cash on the counter and left the drink untouched.

_Getting wasted isn't going to help the situation. I have to be patient. She'll call. She has to._

Stanley slowly walked to his black Toyota Echo, shifted the car into drive and sped off.

* * *

As Henry sipped his glass of water, he watched Vicki devour the last of her General Tso's chicken and fried rice.

"I'm glad I followed your advice. This was definitely better than take out. How did you find this place?"

Henry smiled mischievously. "That's a story for another time."

"I'll get that story out of you. I have my ways," Vicki teased.

Henry's eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Maybe you can show me your ways some time."

A petite Asian woman with short brown hair approached their booth. "Would you like dessert?"

Vicki shook her head firmly. "Unless I want to roll out of here, no."

Her brown eyes rested on Henry. "How about you?"

"I am fine."

The waitress batted her eyelashes and flashed a thousand watt smile. "You sure are. I'll be back with your check."

The blond private investigator stifled a yawn as she shook her head.

"How about I take you home?" Henry offered.

"I really should go back to the office and try to get some stuff done."

"And how do you expect to accomplish anything when your body is craving sleep?"

"You know what they say about sleep. It's overrated."

"Whoever said that was sorely mistaken. Besides you've had a long day. Why don't you call it a night? I am sure your paperwork will still be there in the morning."

"You're not going to let up. Are you?"

"No. Is it working? Am I wearing you down?"

The waitress interrupted their conversation by placing the check in the middle of the table. "Have a nice night."

Vicki plastered a smile on her face while Henry said, "Likewise."

Henry removed some cash from his money clip and placed it on the table while Vicki searched her jacket pockets.

"Vicki, that won't be necessary. I have it covered. I suggested this outing therefore I should be the one to pay for it."

"You know we are living in modern times. It's okay if two friends dining together split the bill," Vicki countered.

"Offering to split the bill was once considered rude because it implied that the person who initially suggested the idea of dining out wasn't able to pay. You wouldn't want to offend me. Would you?"

"I wouldn't dream of offending your highness so I guess this time I'll let you have your way but don't get used to that."

"Ready, Victoria?"

The private investigator slid across the booth. "I'm still deciding whether I should go to the office or home."

"So you'll let me know on the way right?"

"Of course." Vicki led the way out of the restaurant with Henry following close behind.

* * *

Lying in her bed with her head cradled in her arms, Vicki pondered the situation with her father.

_Maybe Henry is right. Maybe I should hear him out. Maybe it's time to heal old wounds. Is that even possible? So much time has passed since he left. Maybe it will feel good to tell him how what he did affected me? Will talking to him really change things for me? Maybe my relationship with my father or lack of relationship explains why all of my relationships have failed. Maybe I've always been waiting for them to walk away just like he did. Maybe if I confront him, my future relationships will be different. My relationships will no longer be colored by what my father did._

Vicki massaged her temples trying to alleviate a headache which had developed from all the questions swirling through her head.

_I'll sleep on it. I still have plenty of time to make a decision._

She closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.

**Author's note: According to a very reliable source, the reason Vicki's father left is different in the books. In this fanfiction, I chose to go in a different direction.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blood Ties or any of its characters. They are Tanya Huff's creations.**

_**Characters thoughts in italics**_

**Thanks to my beta, Lena, for helping me with the dialogue and mannerisms. You always help me stay true to the characters no matter what situations I throw them into.**

**Chapter 4**

The next to last day for Stanley Nelson to be in Toronto had finally arrived and his daughter still hadn't called. His flight was leaving early tomorrow morning so stopping past her office wasn't even an option.

_Maybe she's chosen to write me off. I wouldn't blame her. If that's her decision, I'll just have to live with it. At least I tried._

His cell started ringing.

"Hello."

"Stanley, I've decided to hear what you've have to say. Meet me at my office around one o'clock."

"Thanks for giving me a chance to explain things. I'll see you then."

Before he could say anything else, she hung up.

* * *

Stanley paused outside Vicki's office. He inhaled deeply a couple of times before stepping inside.

A young woman with black hair and heavy eye makeup was sitting at the desk. She glanced from her laptop. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, I am here to see Vicki."

The girl's blue eyes slowly measured him. "She's expecting you. You can go in."

He slowly walked in Vicki's office. Her assistant trailed behind him. "Vicki, I'm going to lunch. I'll be back in about an hour. Good luck."

"Thanks. I'll see you later."

Coreen shut the door.

Vicki was sitting at her desk with her arms crossed. He sat in a chair facing her.

"So. Let's hear it."

He studied the floor for a moment before returning his gaze to his daughter's face. Finally mustering enough courage he spoke. "It took me years to kick my addiction to alcohol. So many years went by before I finally got my act together."

His daughter's eyes narrowed. "Once you finally got clean why didn't you come back?"

"I met someone while I was in Alcoholics Anonymous. We ended up getting married and starting a family."

"I guess I didn't quite fit into your new family then. Nice to hear."

"It wasn't that. I just didn't know how to fix things with you. I have thought about you over the years."

"You thought about me. Well, I guess that's something. I'm so glad that you let me know how much you cared by sending me all those birthday cards over the years. Oh, wait you didn't. So is that it?"

"No, I also wanted to say that I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. That I didn't acknowledge your birthdays. I know we may never have a close relationship but I was hoping we could at least be friends. I'll take that."

"Let me get this straight. You blow into town, hit me with this bombshell and then say you want to be friends. You've gotta be kidding me. Does your wife and kids know about me?"

"Yes, I've told them about you. In fact, it was my wife who encouraged me to reach out to you. There is only one kid." He smiled. "Her name is Lyssa. She's eager to meet you. I know I've given you a lot to think about. My flight leaves tomorrow but I can postpone it if you want me to."

Vicki rose from her chair. Her voice rose slightly. "Why would I want you to do that? You show up after all these years with this lame excuse as to why you never came back into my life. Expecting me to welcome you with open arms. I'm not wired that way. I said I would hear you out and I have. I can't promise you anything more."

"Okay, Vicki. I won't push. Thanks for listening to me. You have my number. I do love you, Vicki. I know my actions haven't shown that but I do."

"How dare you even say that after all these years? Get the hell out of my office!" She opened the door.

Her father slowly rose from the chair. His head hung low. His shoulders slumped. He walked past Vicki without saying another word.

After she slammed the door behind him, she called Coreen and told her to take the rest of the day off. As soon as the call disconnected, she collapsed in sobs while grabbing a bottle of rum.

Several hours later

Vicki was throwing back glasses of rum when Henry walked into her office. "I'm guessing your meeting with your father didn't go so well."

The private investigator raised her glass. "You got that right."

Henry sat next to her on the futon. "I'm sorry it didn't work out."

"Well, that's life."

"True but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with."

"My father did say that he loved me. I guess that's some consolation."

"What else did he say?"

"Are you ready for this? He has another family. I have a sister."

"That had to be a shock."

"It definitely was. It would almost be funny if it wasn't my life. I feel like I'm stuck in a bad soap opera."

Henry grabbed her hand to prevent her from taking another drink. "Drinking yourself into oblivion isn't going to help you deal with this situation."

"It will at least numb the pain for awhile."

"Let me take you home," the vampire pleaded.

"I'll call a cab."

"I won't let you go home alone in this state."

"You won't let me. I don't respond well to demands."

"I'm not demanding you do anything. I'm just concerned."

"Well I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

Vicki rose from the futon and swayed. "Then again, maybe I will take your offer of a ride."

Henry grabbed her jacket while keeping his other arm around her to keep her steady. They slowly walked from Vicki's office to his Jaguar. As soon as Henry settled Vicki into the passenger's seat, she passed out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blood Ties or any of its characters. They are Tanya Huff's creations.**

_**Characters thoughts in italics**_

**Thanks to my beta, Lena! **

**Chapter 5**

When Vicki awoke the next day, a freight train was chugging through her head. She slowly opened her eyes. As soon as light hit them, she slammed her eyelids shut. She had two choices. She could either lay like this for the rest of the day or get up and work through the pain. The private investigator chose the latter.

When she opened her eyes again, she realized she wasn't in her own bed but lying on Henry's leather sofa with a blanket over her. The blinds were closed but Henry had left on all the lights so she would be able to navigate around his apartment. She swung her legs to the floor. As she slowly rose to a sitting position, the throbbing pain in her head intensified. Cupping her head in her hands, she noticed her eyeglasses, a glass of water, two capsules of Advil and a note on the cocktail table. She put on her eyeglasses and took the note in her hand.

_Dear Victoria,_

_I figured you would need this when you woke up. There is also some tomato juice in the refrigerator. I read somewhere that was good for a hangover as well. I hope you are in better spirits when I see you tonight._

_Henry_

She returned the note to the intricately designed table, threw the capsules in her mouth and chased them with some water.

_I definitely am my father's daughter. When the going got tough, I hit the bottle. How could I be so weak? I was so angry last night. I even lashed out at Henry. I wasn't even angry at him. I was really angry with myself for letting my father get to me. Why did I let him get to me?_

Her thoughts shifted to her last memory. Henry helping her to his car. _I hope I didn't say or do anything else I might regret._

She slowly stood and made her way to the kitchen.

* * *

Henry awoke from his daily death. He selected a black dress shirt and dress pants to wear. When he opened his bedroom doors, Vicki was looking at the Toronto skyline.

"Evening, Vicki." He sat in a leather chair.

"Hi, Henry." She walked to the couch and sat down. "So on a scale of one to ten. How bad was I last night?"

The vampire rested his hand on his chin. "I would say a five."

"What happened after the car ride?"

Henry remained serious. "Once I got you to my apartment, you started doing a striptease."

Vicki looked mortified. "I must have been drunker than I thought."

Henry's thin lips curled into a smile. "Actually you just slept through the night."

Vicki threw a dirty look his way.

"How are you feeling?" Henry asked ignoring the look.

"Better than I felt this morning. That's for sure. Not that it's a great achievement, all things considered. Now I see why it took you three hundred years to get over your father issues. I thought confronting Stanley would make me feel better but it didn't."

"No one can twist the knife quite like one's family."

"I feel even angrier than before," she confessed.

"Anger can destroy you if it's not dealt with."

"It's obvious talking doesn't help."

"Maybe you should try writing a letter to your father then burning it."

"At this point I'm willing to try anything."

He smiled at her briefly before looking away. "I hate to cut our conversation short but I have to meet with my editor."

Henry went in the bedroom to get his leather jacket. They headed to the door.

"Thanks for being my sounding board."

"That's what's friends are for." Henry locked the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow after my letter burning."

"Want some company?"

Vicki smiled. "Thanks for offering but this is something I need to do alone."

"You don't always have to be the Rock of Gibraltar. It's okay to lean on someone from time to time."

"I'll keep that in mind."

They boarded the elevator and rode to the lobby.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Blood Ties or any of its characters. They are Tanya Huff****'****s creations.**

_**Characters thoughts in italics**_

**Thanks to my beta, Lena! **

**Chapter 6**

_Dear Stanley,_

_I thought that confronting you would make me feel better but it didn__'__t. I thought maybe you would have a legitimate excuse for walking out of my life and never coming back but you didn__'__t. You just didn't have enough guts to come back and fix things. You said that you loved me despite your actions but your actions spoke louder than your words ever could. No amount of apologies could begin to make up for all the missed quality time. I can only hope that you have learned from your mistakes and that you are a better father to Lyssa than you were to me. I don__'__t know if I will ever be able to forgive you. Even if I do, I doubt I would ever want you in my life. That ship has sailed. _

_Victoria Nelson_

Vicki touched the end of the letter to the blue flame of the stove burner. When the flame crept closer to her fingertips, she dropped the letter into the kitchen sink. As the letter disappeared so did the majority of her anger. She had to admit that she did feel better since finishing the letter. _I guess what they say is true writing can be therapeutic_. The rest of her anger could always be dealt with by going a few rounds with her speed bag.

She went to do some damage.

* * *

When Henry arrived at Vicki's office, she was pummeling the speed bag. "I guess the letter burning didn't go so well?"

"It definitely helped but I needed to do something physical to get rid of the rest of my anger." Vicki grabbed a towel and wiped away her sweat before sitting down on the futon.

Henry joined her. "I think someone might be coming to see you. Her heart is practically thumping out of her chest. She's either really anxious to see you or nervous about something. "

"Maybe your vampire radar is off. I don't have any appointments tonight."

Several minutes later they heard a knock on the door. "Hello."

A complacent look graced Henry's pale face.

"I'll be right with you." Vicki rose from the futon and walked into the outer office. "How can I help you?"

The young woman just stared at her.

"Is there something wrong?"

The red haired woman shook her head. "No, it's just nice to finally meet my big sister."

**THE END**

**Author's note: I do intend to write a follow-up story to this one. Stay tuned.**


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